Haunted
by nicthepunk
Summary: Perhaps love is the one thing that can only truly bring us home. "But maybe I want to come home, though..." Smut! Oneshot, songfic. Lemon! Angsty. Set whenever you want it to be, though mostly it's during Shippuuden.


**A/N: **Oi... I'm on medication today... More concentrated than usual... Maybe something good will come out of this. I feel horrible, to my readers of Don't Ever Let Me Know... I guess I have some explaining to do...

In a nutshell, I botched that story beyond repair in ending it the way I did. That isn't the way I wanted it to end... but in a sense, its how it was going to end regardless.. I should have just worded it better, and stretched it out longer... I fucked it up. I know this, I apologize... But I can't write about **HIM** anymore...

For those of you who actually were bothering to pay attention to my author's notes (and I know that a lot of you ignored them..), that story was about a **real** **life** experience that had happened to me, and when I decided to end that story, I was very... depressed, to say the very least. I just wanted it to be done and over with, because I mean, I do want and need to move on with my life...even though I'm failing miserably to do that... But I'm still trying here! =/

When I first started writing it, I had hoped that Don't Ever Let Me Know would help me cope with my situation, and in a sense, it really did... getting those negative feelings out there, and then getting the support from my readers in return... it helped in more ways than one, but in another sense, there were a lot of details that would never have fit with the plot that I had to leave out. Darker, more personal details...

I'm so sorry for disappointing you guys, and I feel as if I've failed you all as a writer =/ I'm considering taking the whole story down, because I feel it is a total failure. But I dunno... As per request, I've decided to write a more semi-happier SasuSaku story, which may make up for this failure of a story, maybe not. I dunno. If you guys think I should take down "Don't Ever Let Me Know" and possibly re-do it as a ONESHOT (because I think I'm going to retire from doing multi-chapter fics), let me know in the comments, or via PM, whichever works for you. But without further ado, my new oneshot...

Oh, and some information about this, it was inspired by some YouTube videos using the same coupling and the song. I normally don't like Kelly Clarkson, but this song (and a **few** others by her) is truly... haunting, and very fitting for this coupling. And so! Onto the credits (lol)!

**Song: **Haunted

**By: **Kelly Clarkson

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Never in her entire life had Sakura Haruno felt the need to be moving as quickly as she was in this very moment. There had been many missions like this one in the past, missions where she had a team to back her up, and missions that had all ended in failure, but something in her gut was urging her to continue pumping her chakra into her leg muscles and feet, forcing her speed to increase tenfold as she darted throughout the treetops.

Really, her urgency didn't make a whole lot of sense when it all boiled down to it. After all, she was running on a rumor that was conflicting with a dream – a dream to bring back the one person who meant more to her than her own life, even though her life meant nothing to him. And the worst part of it all, was that Sakura knew that he didn't care about her, or Naruto, or anybody else but himself and his stupid revenge. But love makes us do stupid things, and thus, here she was: slowly reaching the southeast border of the Land of Fire, where she would have to pass through another unnamed country before she would make it to the border of Wind.

She had been running for four hours now, and it would soon be getting dark outside. She knew she would have to stop and rest, but dammit, she didn't want to stop for a second out of the fear of missing him! The more logical part of her brain was making a point to remind her of every detail regarding this mission. And as she continued leaping from tree branch to tree branch, the memory of her briefing with Tsunade began to replay itself in her mind.

* * *

_:::Earlier That Day, In The Hokage Tower:::_

_

* * *

Tsunade was sitting at her desk, a large pile of clutter and papers surrounding her as she stared at them in irritation. It was just a normal day, and Sakura had been helping the blonde hokage with her many piles of paperwork, just as she usually did, considering the fact that being the apprentice to one of the most powerful kunoichi on the planet had its obligations, which just happened to be secretarial work. _

_Sakura didn't mind it too much, though. On the upside, she was one of the few people in the village who was **always** first informed of minor internal village affairs. She was also the first to be informed of any missions that come the Konoha shinobi's ways, giving her the opportunity at first-grabs on missions that most appealed to her._

_Ah yes, it was just another normal day, until Takamaru, one of Sunagakure's fastest messenger hawks, came tapping on the Hokage's window, a scroll tied securely to his leg. Sakura recognized the hawk immediately due to its more distinguishable features. She rushed to the window to open it, ushering the hawk inside of the office to complete it's duties. Wasting no time at all, Takamaru perched itself on the Hokage's desk before lifting it's leg enough for the blonde Hokage to untie the rolled up note._

_Unrolling the note and allowing her honey-brown eyes to scan it's contents, Tsunade's eyes immediately went wide, her face paling as her jaw tightened significantly. The change in Tsunade's once-aloof attitude did not go unnoticed by Sakura, whose bright green eyes remained on her shishou's form the entire time. Her lips turning into a slight frown, Sakura parted her lips slightly to speak._

"_What is it, Shishou?" she asked, her voice full of concern. Tsunade's eyes slowly drifted upwards to meet Sakura's intense green ones, and the expression on the blonde Hokage's face caused Sakura's frown to deepen. Something was clearly off and Tsunade wasn't saying a word about whatever it was. Instead, she outstretched her arm, handing the paper to Sakura._

_Taking the paper from the Hokage, Sakura's eyes drifted to the paper's contents and like Tsunade, she carefully scanned the paper's contents once before the small note began to flutter towards the Hokage's desk. Sakura's eyes were wide in disbelief._

"_**Dear Hokage-Sama,  
I am writing in regards to inform you of a recent spotting of the missing nin, Uchiha Sasuke, as well as one of the members of his four-man squad who goes by the name 'Jūgo'. Both members of the independently-formed team, commonly known as 'Taka', were both spotted earlier today near the borders of the Land of Birds and the Land of Wind. **_

_**Considering the fact that the Uchiha is wanted as a former Konohagakure shinobi, I have felt that it would be in our best interest to allow you to dispatch a shinobi of Chuunin-level or higher to investigate the sighting, though I do ask you to please keep in mind that the Uchiha was just spotted and my once again disappear at any given time. **_

_**I have already informed the village guards of the impending arrival of one of your shinobi, so clearance of Konoha's ninja entering into Suna will be of little difficulty. Your shinobi is also welcome to stay in my village as long as necessary during this upcoming mission. I only ask that you please keep me updated with your findings. Arigato.**_

—_**The Godaime Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara."**_

_Sakura was in complete and utter shock at what she had just read. Could this really be happening? There hadn't been a single word of Sasuke's whereabouts in months now, so to say that she was completely and utterly shocked would be an understatement. Questions scrambled with words immediately flooded her mind as she slowly took in all of the information she had just received._

'...Sasuke-kun... near Suna... What the hell is he doing near Suna? ...With Jūgo... Who the hell is this Jūgo? And where's the rest of his team? Weren't there four of them?...I've gotta go on this mission!'

"_Tsunade-sama! You **have **to give me this mission!" Sakura shouted at the blonde-hokage, her outburst causing the woman in question to look up at her with raised eyebrows. _

_Immediately after the words left her mouth, the sight of Tsunade's face—combined with the memory of **who** exactly this woman was—caused Sakura's resolve to falter slightly under the blonde woman's stern gaze. Immediately, she tried to undo her demand, stammering her way around her words that were now hanging loosely in the air as Tsunade watched her in mild amusement. She knew Sakura well enough to know exactly how (and why) the pinkette's once-stern resolve had significantly faltered, and quite frankly, it amused her to watch Sakura squirm for a bit._

"_A-Ano... what I mean is that... well, I think that I would certainly be the best person suited for the job... I mean, I **am** one of his former teammates, and all... and after all of my years of such **intense** and **hard** training with a **powerful** woman, such as yourself... Uh... what I'm trying to say is... erm... please?" _

_Sakura nervously scratched the back of her head, her eyes closed in attempts at avoiding the Hokage's gaze as she forced out a nervous chuckle, her feet unconsciously leading her a few steps back words. Sakura truly did inherit Tsunade's stern demeanor, but underneath it all, the pink-haired teen still had a bit of her childhood timidity. Tsunade smirked as she rested her cheek on her open palm._

"_I don't really need the flattery, Sakura, but I am curious as to why you are so insistent on going on this mission. It's not even that important considering the fact that we don't even know if Sasuke will still be there by the time either you, or one of our other shinobi, makes it to Suna. In case you've forgotten, it **is** a three-day trip on foot."_

_Sakura's arms, which were resting casually behind her head in a manor similar to Shikamaru's, immediately dropped to her sides. Her eyes opened with a new-found sense of determination as she took a step back towards the Hokage's desk, her palms spreading out in front of her as she leaned towards Tsunade in attempts at meeting the blonde-woman's gaze. Ah, there was the Sakura that Tsunade was used to._

"_I just... I need to go on this mission, shishou. I'm sure that you, of all people, understand **why **I do..." Sakura replied, her eyes noticing the way Tsunade's own eyes reflected her stern, determined gaze. Her eyebrows dropped from their surprised, raised position, and immediately furrowing as Tsunade stood up from her desk. _

_The messenger hawk was still waiting on the two women obediently. As the kunoichi stared intensely at one another for several moments of Tsunade pacing back and forth behind her desk, her slender fingers curled around her chin in thought, the blonde woman took one final glance at Sakura before finally surrendering with a long sigh of defeat. Her body immediately slumped back into her chair as she reached across the oak desk for a pen and fresh piece of parchment paper, her hand quickly scribbling her response to Gaara's message._

"_**Dear Kazekage-sama,  
It is with great appreciation that I thank you for first and foremost informing both myself and the Hidden Leaf Village of your sighting of the missing nin, Uchiha Sasuke. Having just received your message, it is after some great consideration that I have decided to dispatch my apprentice, Haruno Sakura, to Suna for this mission due to the fact that she is not only Sasuke's former teammate, but she also is a Chuunin and a more-than capable kunoichi (as I am sure you are well aware).**_

_**I ask only that she is well-taken care of during her stay in Suna. Her arrival should be expected within three days from now as I am dispatching her immediately. I would once again like to thank you for informing us of this information, and I assure you that any information gathered by Sakura will be first reported to yourself before it is given to me, in exchange for your hospitality and cooperation. Once again, arigato.**_

—_**The Godaime Hokage, Tsunade."**_

_Sakura's eyes never left Tsunade's hand, as she read the words the blonde woman inscribed onto the note addressed to the Kazekage himself, her face lighting up in joy (and pride) at Tsunade's decision to send her on this mission. Tsunade rolled the parchment paper and tied it to the hawk's ankle, the bird immediately taking flight the moment she released his leg. Tsunade stood up from her desk as she watched the bird take off in the direction of Suna. As she slid the window shut, she turned around on her heel, her arms crossing as she stared intensely at Sakura._

_Sakura was staring back at Tsunade, her fingers twitching and curling in various directions nervously, though her gaze never faltered. She could do this mission—she **needed **to do this mission—and nothing or no one was going to intimidate her from accurately performing her job. When Tsunade started to speak, Sakura's frantic finger movements halted as she clenched her fists, her eyes never leaving Tsunade's._

"_Sakura," the blonde woman let out a long sigh before continuing."You do realize what this mission requires of you, correct?" There was a long pause of silence shared between the two women as their intense staring session continued on. For a moment, as Tsunade observed, Sakura's gaze shifted briefly from stern, to slightly doubtful, to semi-confused, before returning to her former sense of resolve. Taking Sakura's silence as a response, Tsunade continued._

"_You are going to have to set aside any and all feelings you have towards the Uchiha in order to successfully complete this mission. I do not want you heading out there with expectations. You may encounter Sasuke and this 'Jūgo' person, or you may not. Chances of you encountering these two are low, but anything is possible at this rate. Your objective is to **gather information**, not to pursue Sasuke. Do you understand what I am telling you?"_

_Sakura's back stiffened as she took in Tsunade's words, before she slowly nodded her head in understanding. She couldn't chase Sasuke; that was her mission. Should she go against Tsunade's orders... well, Sakura didn't even want to envision being the receiving end of the blonde woman's wrath. She knew how ugly the hokage could get when she was angry. It took her several broken bones, but Sakura definitely got the message **years** ago._

"_Hai. When do I leave, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked in a professional tone, the sudden change in Sakura's use of honorifics going from '-shishou' to '-sama' was not left unnoticed by the blonde hokage, who merely smirked in response, rather than commenting on it._

"_You leave immediately. But first, go home. Pack whatever you think you'll need for this mission, but of course, travel lightly. Prepare to make at least two different camps, because travel will take you three days to complete—there's no avoiding that, no matter how fast you run." Tsunade eyed the pink-haired teen warily as she paused a moment, giving Sakura an opportunity to fully absorb everything that she was saying. This mission, despite it's objectives being to merely gather information, held the utmost importance considering **whom **it was regarding. _

_Tsunade realized immediately that although Sakura could probably memorize the details of this mission, it was still, in fact, an official mission, which meant that there needed to be a written objective for Sakura to carry with her. And so, despite her lack of wanting to, Tsunade once again sat down at her desk before pulling out out a drawer filled with blank scrolls. _

_She ushered Sakura to momentarily take a seat as she wrote up the mission scroll, and Sakura slumped down in the chair. Sakura honestly wanted to wait for her mission to start about as much as Tsunade wanted to write the mission scroll. The pink-haired apprentice truly was beginning to inherit her shishou's 'habits', the current one being her impatience (and laziness combined with a lack of enthusiasm for the minor details of things)._

_Taking her pen into hand, Tsunade quickly began scribbling out the details of the mission, her hand darting across the paper over and over as she wrote out all the important details of the mission. As she reached the end of the scroll, she added a little note at the end intended for Sakura only. Once the scroll was completed, she slid it across her desk towards Sakura with the purpose of the pink-haired woman's input on it. Sakura took the scroll immediately and began to read it aloud, the blonde woman's hands once again folding in the usual manor as she rested her chin on them, her eyes on Sakura as she observed the pinkette for her reactions._

"_Mission assigned to me, Haruno Sakura – a Chuunin of Konohagakure," Sakura began as her eyes briefly flickered up to look at Tsunade before they immediately drifted back to the paper in her pale hands, her eyes scanning the words carefully. _

"_This mission is going to be performed solo, and it is ranked S-Class due to the circumstances revolving around the mission's main objective, Uchiha Sasuke..." Sakura faltered a bit as she paused, allowing the words to truly sink in before she continued reading the note aloud, "...as well as one of his current team members, a orange-haired man whom has come to be known as 'Jūgo'. It is to be kept in mind that Jūgo is a severe threat – he was once associated with the now-deceased Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru, having once inhabited Orochimaru's North Base, where he was experimented on." Sakura took in a deep breath, holding it in as she continued reading aloud._

"_Jūgo is the origin of Orochimaru's Cursed Seal, and rumor has it, he is unable to control the effects of his cursed seal..." Sakura paused, her eyes going wide as she looked up at Tsunade, only to be met by the woman's closed eyes. Immediately, she released the breath she didn't realize she was holding. Her own eyes slowly returned to the paper as she continued reading her mission objectives aloud, her gaze still wide and now tinged with slight uncertainty._

"_...The negative outcome of Jūgo being the origin of Orochimaru's cursed seal is that he is unable to control it's effects on his body. Whenever he 'loses control' of the cursed seal, Jūgo is prone to go into a bloodlust-fueled frenzy fueling a brute strength capable of taking down even the most experienced shinobi..." _

_Sakura visibly paled as she read on, truly starting to fear going on this mission, though her resolve continued to discourage her from backing down._

"_Should Jūgo be encountered—in either his cursed seal state or his regular state—it is a direct order from the Hokage that the shinobi on this mission flee the area at once..." Sakura's eyes drifted past the paragraph break and she once again resumed reading the mission scroll, her bright green eyes shifting left to right slowly as she continued reading the report aloud._

"_This mission is of extremely high importance, and is thus ranked S-Class considering who exactly we are dealing with. Any and all information gathered during this mission is to first be reported directly to the Kazekage, as agreed to when this mission was accepted. From there, do not worry about sending back reports, as Gaara will be taking care of that for you." _

_Having nearly reached the end of the page—and the paragraph—Sakura noticed a smaller piece of writing towards the end of the page, a small star proceeding it. Straining her eyes a bit to read the small writing, Sakura read this last bit more to herself, her voice now almost a whisper._

"_Sakura... As your shishou, I know better than anyone how this mission will toy with and affect your feelings regarding the Uchiha. However, it is your duty as a Konohagakure shinobi to put your feelings and emotions behind you in order to complete your mission. You should know this rule better than anyone, but it is this particular mission where I must ask you to keep it in mind at all times. Otherwise, this mission will be a failure." _

_Sakura's face paled as she slowly drifted her eyes back to Tsunade, the blonde haired woman having heard Sakura finish reading the little note intended for her alone at the bottom. The honey-eyed woman met her young apprentice's gaze softly as she stood up from her seat. _

_Slowly walking around her desk, Tsunade stood before Sakura as the two women quietly stared at each other for a brief moment, a silent but mutual understanding being shared by the two of them. Finally, after a bit, Tsunade added onto her small 'note' at the bottom of the scroll._

"_Sakura, I do not doubt your skills and capabilities in the least bit, so I want you to try to understand exactly why I said what I did at the end of that mission objective. I know what it is like to be in love, and I also know how being in love can affect a person on a mission..." she paused a moment, her eyes taking a more distant look for a brief moment before she shook her head slightly, shaking herself out of whatever silent thought she was having._

"_It is because of my full faith in your abilities as a shinobi that I agreed to send you on this mission. I have faith in your ability to put your feelings and emotions behind you as a means of not compromising this mission. I'm counting on you, Sakura. Please don't let me down. I know how hard this is going to be for you, especially in the instance that you and Sasuke encounter one another. Do not forget who and what he is now, not for a single second. He is a missing nin, wanted for his treason and crimes against not only our village, but against our ally villages as well. Do not pursue him. Do not chase him. Just find out whatever you can about him and his future whereabouts. Is that understood?" Tsunade asked, placing both of her hands on Sakura's shoulders. Sakura gulped slightly before nodding her head 'yes', a professional yet serene and understanding look gracing her young, delicate features._

"_Alright then," Tsunade began as she took the scroll out of Sakura's hands, her own hands carefully rolling it up before placing it back in the pinkette's hands. _

"_You're dismissed. Like I said though, go home, pack your things, **but travel lightly**, and you can begin making your way to Suna as soon as you can." Sakura nodded, her spine stiffening considerably as she stood at attention, her determination shining brightly through her eyes once more. As she spun around on her heel, her hand stuffing the scroll into a pouch strapped to her hip, Tsunade's voice caused her to stop immediately in her tracks as she listened to whatever else the hokage had to say._

"_And Sakura?" Tsunade asked, causing the pinkette to look over her shoulder at her shishou. The pink-haired woman's eyes were filled with confusion having been given the impression that Tsunade had said all she had needed to. Apparently, there was something else she wanted to add._

"_Hai, Shishou?" Sakura asked in response. Tsunade's hard gaze immediately softened as she once again established eye-contact with her pink-haired apprentice, the stern look in Sakura's eyes immediately reminding Tsunade of herself at that age._

"_Take care of yourself," was all Tsunade said, and Sakura immediately smiled sweetly in response at the woman. She knew just how much Tsunade cared about her, and even if the elder woman never said so out loud, Sakura knew that she was like a daughter to her._

"_I will, I promise," Sakura replied with a smile before turning her head back to gaze ahead of her, her small yet powerful hands pushing both doors of the hokage's office open as she made her way home to pack._

* * *

And so, here she was, leaping from treetop to treetop as quickly as she could. She knew that no matter how fast she ran, the three-day long trip to the Wind Country was inevitable. Even the fastest shinobi—well, perhaps with the exception to Konoha's [deceased] Yellow Flash (the Yondaime Hokage) himself—couldn't shorten the travel time it took to get from Konohagakure to Sunagakure. Even with this knowledge in mind, however, Sakura's instincts were telling her to run as fast as she could, and thus, her chakra was constantly being pumped into her leg muscles, as well as her feet.

Sakura's eyes looked ahead towards the slowly-darkening sky, her thin, pink eyebrows narrowing in frustration. She knew she'd soon have to make camp, the darkness prohibiting her from furthering her travels. But she was determined to at least make it to the Land of Fire's border before the sun had completely set. From the looks of it, she would be there in at least a half an hour, her chakra-enhanced speed assisting her greatly, though at the same time, it was slowly draining her.

Her leg muscles were beginning to burn from the constant channeling of her chakra, but Sakura could honestly care less. If there was any tissue damage done by the time she stopped to make camp, she'd just use her healing techniques to repair the damage until it was as good as new. Being a medic shinobi, Sakura always made it a point to put her health ahead of everything else, because without her, Team Kakashi would be in grave danger. It was because she was a medic shinobi that made Team Kakashi as strong as it was, and she certainly wouldn't do anything that would damage their performance in the future.

Logic was usually Sakura's strong point, though whenever it came to the issue of Sasuke, she had a tendency to falter in that area greatly. It was because she put him above herself so much that proved to truly be her greatest weakness, the one weakness she had never been able to overcome, no matter how hard she tried to train it away.

Sasuke was always the one major problem in her life that simply wouldn't disappear, and the worst part of it all was that the man wasn't even around anymore! It truly was _insane_, and Sakura couldn't figure out, for the life of her, why he still had such a heavy impact on her life.

She also couldn't understand how she was able to love someone like him so damn much without him being in her life for so many years now. How many years now _**had**_it been exactly since he left? Three? Four? No, it's been five whole years since he had left. Five years of searching high and low for the man who blended into his surroundings like a shadow.

He was always just out of their reach, even if only by a hairs-length, but it was still always enough to set them right back to square one in looking for him. The fact that he had completely fallen off the radar for so long prior to this most recent update was discouraging to both herself and Naruto, but they never lost hope for a second.

Sakura immediately frowned. She knew she would have to keep this mission a secret from Naruto forever, because she knew how he would react if he were ever to find out about it. He would be angry, with Tsunade and her, for not informing him of the most recent Sasuke sighting, and he may even take off on his own to look in places that Sakura might have "missed" during her mission. The mission she went on without him. The mission that she knew for a fact he would never let her live down, should he find out about it.

And so, she continued darting along the tree branches as her eyes slowly focused on a large wall ahead of her. Finally, she had reached the walls surrounding the Land of Fire. Slowly, she was approaching yet another more wooded area that would then eventually lead her to a _lot _of sand. It was almost completely dark outside now, and Sakura had to squint her eyes considerably just to clearly make out the tall, wooden wall in the distance. All that was left for her to do now would be to scale the wall using her chakra, and find a place in the wooded area on the other side to make camp for the night.

As she continued running, she immediately thought of Sasuke. It wasn't unusual for his face to appear in her mind – that was something that happened on a near-daily basis, at some point of the day or another. Her lips immediately tilted into a frown as she tried her best to focus on the task at hand, her pace now slowing to a normal sprint as she wanted to preserve the rest of her chakra to heal whatever muscle tissue she might have fried in her attempts at quickening her pace.

As the last of the sun was shown in the horizon, Sakura had just managed to make it to the wall. Focusing her chakra into her feet, she ran up the wall until she reached the top ledge, where she immediately perched herself before leaping off, her legs once again resuming their sprint into the forest ahead. After several short moments of running, Sakura finally stopped, unable to continue running. Her stamina had long since ran out and now she was just overexerting herself. Her lungs burned from overuse and she had to clutch her knees for a moment as she hunched forward, her breathing heavy and labored.

As soon as she had managed to level out her breathing once more, Sakura looked around at her surroundings, and immediately, she spotted several potential areas to make camp. She was now no longer in what was considered "neutral" territory, and she knew that full and well. Although this unnamed wooded area wasn't exactly an "enemy" area, she was still at risk for attacks by rogue shinobi, so she would have to not only sleep lightly, but also remain heavily on her guard for the remainder of the night.

Finally, she decided on a place to set up camp upon eying a small clearing near a tiny stream. Sakura smiled softly at the landscape before her, mentally capturing the beautiful scenery as she slowly walked towards the stream. She dropped her backpack on the ground, discarding it momentarily as she slowly walked towards the stream. As she crouched down before the small body of flowing water, she cupped her hands together and gathered some of the cool spring water, before immediately splashing it onto her face, which was still slightly overheated.

Letting out a soft sigh of relief, Sakura sat down on the grass and stared down at the flowing water, the ripples of the small waves slowly distracting her, captivating her and slowly making her get lost in her own thoughts, though not before she summoned forth a familiar green glow, her healing chakra flowing from her hands and into the sore muscles of her legs. Yup, it was just as she had suspected—three torn ligaments and two nearly-fried thigh muscles. Sakura winced as her fingertips touched the sore skin of her legs, though she let out a soothing sigh immediately after, the damaged tissue slowly repairing itself beneath her healing fingertips.

After she was done healing herself, Sakura realized just how low on Chakra she was. Perhaps pushing herself so hard wasn't the smartest thing for her to do, but at the time... well, it _**seemed**_ like a good idea, though she never really understood **_why _** it did. Letting out a long sigh, Sakura stared down at the captivating ripples and small waves in the tiny stream before her. The movements of the water was so captivating and relaxing, that it didn't take her very long to get lost in her own thoughts, the patterns of the water gently easing her back into the confines of her mind.

And of course, once again, she thought of Sasuke. She pictured his childish smirk, and a much younger version of his face, because that was the Sasuke she preferred to remember. That person, and the person who Sasuke had became, were two total strangers. Sakura closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air through her nose. Immediately after she closed her eyes, however, she regretted the action for the image that awaited her subconscious.

* * *

_**::Flashback::  
**It was supposed to be just another ordinary night—nothing strange was going on, and everything had seemed to be going back to normal. For some reason, Sakura had finally agreed to go with Naruto to get ramen at Ichiraku's, a fact that he was more than happy about. It was strange, but somehow over time, Naruto had managed to grow on her, and she was finally content with the fact that they were teammates, whereas before, it was a fact that she had dreaded._

_Nightfall had just completely came over the village as the two arrived at the ramen stand, and before Sakura even sat down to order her food, she immediately got a gut-wrenching feeling in her stomach. Something wasn't right, she could just feel it. It was in that instant that something compelled her to go, though where she was going exactly wasn't quite clear to her._

_Politely, she excused herself from the ramen stand, muttering her apologies to Naruto while promising to have ramen with him again some other night. Thankfully, Naruto didn't press the issue too far, settling his questions at a simple 'is everything okay, Sakura-chan?' _

_Luckily for her, he bought her excuse that she had errands to run that she had forgotten about, and as she took of in a light jog, he didn't pursue after her, instead continuing on his trek for his ramen dinner, thanks to a friendly reminder from his empty stomach._

_Once the ramen stand—and Naruto—was out of her sight, her light jog turned into a light sprint, her legs running on pure instinct alone as she constantly wracked her brain for answers as to what could possibly have her feeling so uneasy. Sasuke was safe at his home, as far as she was aware, and Kakashi-sensei was also off somewhere within the safety of the village. So then, what exactly had her left feeling as if something horrible was about to take place?_

_The need to catch her breath overwhelming her, Sakura slowed her sprint down to slow walking, her legs still moving on instinct, unthinkingly, as she made her way through the back alleys and stone streets of the village. As her lazy, slow steps slowly eased into a complete stop, that gut wrenching feeling increased tenfold, and for some reason, she was overwhelmed with the urge to turn around and run in the opposite direction._

_It made no sense to her, it really didn't What the hell was going on? Her bright green eyes darted towards the sky where a full, yellow moon beamed brightly in contrast with the night sky, the stars and a few light clouds scattered idly around it._

_**'A full moon – could that be what has me feeling so uneasy?' **she wondered idly to herself as she quickened her pace, her legs quickly running down the street to an unknown destination._

_She didn't realize it at the time, but fate was leading her along that night. Finally slowing her pace to a walk once more, Sakura looked around at her surroundings and immediately realized that she was in the village park, and slowly, her feet were leading her to the road. As she stepped onto the stone road, she immediately saw a dark figure slowly approaching her, his own footsteps sluggish and drawn out._

_It took her a moment of waiting before she was able to make out the details of this figure, and eventually, her mind registered exactly who it was approaching her at a snails pace. It was Sasuke, his backpack strapped securely to his back. _

_She watched him for a moment, expecting him to say something to her, or at least acknowledge her existence. Considering his personality, though, she expected him to ignore her entirely. Which is why she was shocked when he stopped walking, just feet away from her, and began speaking to her._

"_It's the middle of the night, what are you hanging around here for?" he asked her coldly, his onyx eyes staring intently at her. It was in that moment that everything clicked in her mind—of where he was going, what he was doing, and where exactly they were in this very moment—and her gaze lowered sadly as she responded to his question._

"_This is the only road out of the village," she nearly whispered, and Sasuke once again began walking towards her, though he took the opportunity to speak once more as he passed her. His words were emotionless, though not as cold as before._

"_You should go to bed." And with that, not another word was said as he coldly passed her by, just like he always did. He didn't care about her feelings, nor did he care that she was there right now, sharing his final moments in the village with him. It was this knowledge, along with the knowledge that he was finally leaving to perform the first of his life's goals, which was to kill his older brother, that instantly shattered her fragile heart into a million pieces. A tear slowly cascaded its way down her cheek as she once again parted her lips to speak, her soft voice somehow making its way loudly through this silence of the night._

"_Why, Sasuke-kun?" she softly asked, her voice borderline-broken. Turning around on her heel, she watched his retreating back as she once again began to speak, more tears beginning to flow down her cheeks. _

"_Why won't you ever tell me anything? Why is it always silence with you? You've never shared a single thing with me—" She began, and for the first time, he actually cut her off, his tone immediately turning angry and irritated as he coldly responded to her barrage of questions with a question of his own._

"_Why should I have to tell **you** anything?" he asked, his tone colder than ever. He didn't even bother to spare her a second glance as he slowly walked towards the exit of the village. Sakura stared at him with hot tears pouring from her eyes, unable to stop the sign of the inner pain she was now feeling over the realization that this was it—he was leaving them now, leaving **her**, forever._

_She couldn't respond to him in that moment, at least, not with words. All she could do was feel the tears breaking away from beneath her chin as they slowly fell to the ground below, some occasionally stopping as they made contact with her red dress. _

_She was surprised to hear him continue speaking, his words still cold and harsh as he continued speaking to her as if she were just some insignificant annoyance, though she supposed in some sense, to him, she was just that—an annoyance that he wanted nothing more than to rid himself of. _

_Perhaps that was why he left Konoha; why left her...? It was certainly a thought she would later entertain from time to time in her head, though it wasn't **too** often considering the fact that she always knew deep down what his goals were—to kill Itachi and revive his clan._

"_Just keep your nose out of my business. It's none of your concern," he coldly finished, and Sakura immediately put her head down, the tears still freely falling down her cheeks in silence. _

_This was one of the rare types of crying that any one person can do in their life. With Sakura being only twelve-years-old at the time, she would soon find this fact out the hard way, and later in life, she would look back on this moment with understanding, knowing just what these tears mean. _

_Because you see, a person can cry, and sob, and vocally weep over relatively anything, but then there's also these silent tears. These particular tears are different in the sense that they do not come from foolish thoughts and feelings, but rather, these are the tears that stem straight from a broken heart. These are the tears that a person will weep only for the ones they truly love, in loss or rejection, though in Sakura's case, it was both. But she didn't know that back then. After all, how could she? She was only twelve-years-old at the time; a mere child with limited knowledge on how both the world, and her own heart, worked._

_And she ignored these tears, because she realized that he already thought she was weak. Her crying before him would have no baring on that factor. It hurt, but she knew it, deep down. And so, she freely allowed the tears to quietly fall, never bothering to wipe them away. She smiled one of the saddest smiles as she continued to stare down at the ground, a bittersweet expression gracing her childish features as she softly began to speak._

"_I know you hate me... Even in the beginning, you could never stand me," she said softly, her sad, broken-hearted smile never faltering as she lifted her head to watch him, the tears on her cheeks still shining brightly in the moonlight as she watched him._

"_Remember... back when we made Genin and we were assigned to our three-man squads?" she asked him, hoping to jar his memory of the day that Iruka-sensei had assigned Naruto, Sasuke, and herself to Team 7. Her pain-filled gaze never left his own emotionless gaze as she paused for a moment, collecting her words and thoughts before continuing with whatever it was she was about to tell him._

"_We were alone together for the first time, right here on this very spot. You got so mad at me that day..." she continued, a soft yet sad chuckle slightly laced around her words. She was referring to the day that she had berated Naruto for acting so immature—blaming it on the fact that he had no parents to scold him—in front of 'Sasuke'. She never quite realized at the time that Naruto wasn't the only one being immature, but rather, **she** was, too. _

_And she didn't realize it at the time, however, but it wasn't actually Sasuke who was there with her that day. Instead, it was Naruto who had disguised himself as Sasuke in order to get Sakura to kiss him. But none of that really mattered, because she was still convinced that it was actually Sasuke himself who was with her at the time._

_She remembered that moment so well, too, because it was on that day that 'Sasuke' had berated her for not understanding what it truly was like to be alone. He had explained to her that she could never compare being 'alone' to the feeling a person gets whenever they are scolded by their parents, and for some reason, his harsh words had stuck with her permanently, slowly changing her views towards not only Naruto, but people in general. It was a lesson in her life that she would cling to until the day she died, and **dammit**, she **needed** him to remember that day right now._

_Sakura looked up at Sasuke with hopeful eyes, hoping that he would remember that day and the words that [she assumed] he had told her, but as he began to speak, she would soon be once again riddled with disappointment._

"_I don't remember that," Sasuke said coldly, causing Sakura to gasp in a combination of shock and sadness. Her now-dried tears, which were still staining her face, once again began to flow freely from the lids of her eyes as she stared at him, saddened by the fact that he didn't remember. Oh, if she only knew that he wasn't even there, at least, it wasn't the real him._

_As the tears once again met beneath her chin, threatening to fall, Sakura's gaze shifted towards the ground as she stared sadly downwards. Her green eyes stared at a spot on the ground near her sandal-clad shoe, a small, dark, and circular spot slowly forming as her tears broke away and cascaded down. And so, she laughed it off, because now she felt completely and utterly foolish. How could he remember that? It didn't matter to him enough, anyhow._

"_Yeah, sure... I mean, it was so long ago, right?" she asked before looking up at him, her sad smile still in place as the tears continued pouring down. Her voice was clearer now, less hushed and more hopeful as she spoke again._

"_But still, that's the day when it all began. It was the start of you and me... and Naruto... and Kakashi-sensei..." Immediately, she reflected back on this particular day as well, remember the infamous bell test that they had to pass in order to become Genin. She remembered how the all had to learn to work together as a team, despite all three of them not wanting to. Then she remembered their first mission as a Genin team, when they went to the Land of Waves to assist and protect Tazuna, the bridge builder. _

_Images of the four of them spending time together as a team—going on missions, and training, and whatnot—began to fill her head as she tried her best to make him remember the better memories they had spent together. She hoped that she could at least warm his heart enough to perhaps convince him to change his mind._

"_The four of us started going on missions. It was rough back then. Every day was such a challenge..." she continued, and Sasuke's eyes immediately clouded over in thought, as the two shared a memory of getting ramen together as a team, as well as several other various memories shared between the members of Team 7. _

_Throughout most of them, Sasuke seemed annoyed (for the most part). But there was also a small side of joy that could rarely be seen, because the bonds the three had shared together—despite his best efforts to ignore them—made him **feel** something again. Perhaps that was another factor in his desire to leave the village. Maybe he was feeling too weak by empathizing with his teammates? But who's to say, either way._

"_...But, more than anything... it was so much fun!" During her reminiscing, Sakura's tears had—for the most part—completely dried again, though as she stared at his turned back, more only threatened to fall._

"_...I know about your clan, Sasuke-kun," she began once more, her gaze shifting to the ground as she continued her speech,"I do...But seeking revenge," she paused for emphasis before continuing, "that wont bring anyone happiness. Nobody at all... Not you, and not me..."_

_The full moon was slowly covered by the clouds, a darkness surrounding the two young shinobi as they shared a momentary pause of silence, Sakura's gaze never leaving the ground while Sasuke's gaze never reached her. He just stared blankly ahead at the road, a path he would be taking out of their lives and into the darkness forever. It was all rather symbolic, really. But he at least allowed her to say whatever she needed to say to him, and the fact that he was actually listening to her was a small comfort to her. Truly, it was._

"_I knew it," Sasuke finally broke the silence, speaking for the first time in a good while. His words immediately dragged her gaze up from the ground below and forced it to land on his back, her eyes looking at him with a tinge of curiosity and hope as she listened to his words carefully._

"_Huh?" she asked, almost inaudibly, and he continued speaking as a means of elaborating of exactly what he meant._

"_I'm not the same as you. I'm traveling a path the rest of you can't follow. I know that the four of us have worked together... and for awhile, I thought I could take that road instead... but in the end, I've decided on revenge," his eyes narrowed at this admission in a mixture of both anger and intensity the likes of which Sakura was unable to see, his back still facing her as he continued to speak, "that's always been my reason for living. I'll never be like you and Naruto."_

_Immediately, her words left her before she could process them, and she called out to him, trying to assure him that they could make him happy. A pleading tone was heavy in her voice, and she stared at him longingly, hoping her words would truly be able to reach him, though she had a gut feeling that they wouldn't._

"_Don't do this, Sasuke-kun! You don't have to be alone! You told me that day how painful a thing solitude can be..."_

_As he listened to her words, the angry glint in his eyes softened as he heard—and damn near **felt**—her pleas and reassurances, knowing deep down in his heart that his mind was already long-since made up._

"_...I understand that pain now... I have a family, and friends, but... if you were gone, Sasuke-kun... it would be the same thing for me... as being all alone." _

_It was in that moment that the portrait of Team 7 flashed in Sasuke's mind, the image of their once-happy and carefree faces causing his eyes to drift downwards remorsefully while he took in her words. But once again, his cold exterior had a retort to that as he coldly responded to her words._

"_This is a new beginning. Each of us has a new path lying before us."_

_For the first time, she finally took a step towards him, his name leaving her lips in a pleading manor. She didn't even acknowledge the fact that her feet were moving, her instincts—again, mixed with fate—once again leading her towards the place they felt they needed to be: with him; near him. Somehow, despite her only being twelve at the time, her instincts knew that the place she would always need to be, was beside him... forever. And so, she took a hesitant step forward._

"_Sasuke-kun! I'm so in love with you, I can't even stand it!" she cried out to him, taking another hesitant step towards him as she continued to pour her heart out to him. "If you would only be with me, I promise, I'd never let you regret it! Every day will be a joy! I can give you happiness. I'll do anything for you, Sasuke-kun, so please! I'm begging you, don't walk away! I'll even help get your revenge. I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen, I swear! So stay here... with me... and if you can't, then take me with you, Sasuke-kun..." _

_And that's when the floodgates of her tears finally broke, and she began to vocally weep. Her soft sobs filled the air as Sasuke stood completely still, his hands casually stuffed into his pockets as he silently listened to her, his gaze remaining forward for a few moments before finally, he turned slightly towards her. With his usual trademark smirk, he glanced back at the crying girl who was now covering her mouth with one of her hands, doing her best to keep her sobs quiet as she wept for him. When he spoke the words she had heard from him thousands of times before, she was still somehow left in shock despite the familiarity of it all._

"_You haven't changed. You're still annoying." As she met his gaze, her eyes widened at his words, the tears still pouring down her cheeks. Her lips parted slightly, though she wasn't sure how to respond to his statement other than to cry a little more, her heart now hurting even more at his harsh words. After a brief moment of silence, following a soft gasp in surprise, Sasuke once again began walking away. His actions finally had caused something to snap within Sakura and she screamed at him as loud as she could._

"_Don't leave me!" _

_As soon as the words left her lips, she ran after him. She didn't know what drove her to do it, but she felt him slipping away in that very moment and everything inside of her was screaming at her, telling her to do **something** to stop him – anything at all. And so, she ran towards him, the tears still pouring down her face. She didn't run too far, however, and stopped in order to speak again, her eyes still frantically watching his retreating form as she spoke again._

"_If you go, I'll scream and—" but her words fell silent as she watched him flicker away, her shinobi senses immediately informing her that he was now not only standing behind her, but he was mere **inches** behind her. This realization alone caused her to take in a sharp, nervous breath as she heard him speak._

"_Sakura..." he said in the softest tone she had ever heard Sasuke use. The intensity of his voice caused her eyes to widen as she listened to him, her gaze remaining forward and her cheeks still covered in tear tracks._

_And then, he uttered the one thing that would forever replay itself in her mind..._

"_...Arigato..." _

_And beyond that was blackness, before she would soon wake again on a nearby park bench. He had thanked her, and knocked her out, leaving her safely on the bench they were standing closest to. It was subtle, but it was one of the few moments of kindness that Sasuke Uchiha would ever show. And **she **was the one person to see it._

* * *

**Louder, louder, the voices in my head.  
Whispers, taunting, all the things you said...  
**

* * *

It both amazed and disgusted her that after all this time, she still clung to the memory of the only boy—now a man—that she had ever loved. She clung to those memories like a vice-grip, never knowing nor understanding why she still did so, exactly. After all, the man only proved to have caused her nothing but pain over the years. And aside from a few brief moments of kindess—

* * *

_**::Flashback::  
**As a younger Gaara in his Shukaku form slammed a now-unconscious Sakura towards a tree, Sasuke immediately scooped the frail, pink-haired girl up into his arms, preventing her from the inevitable fall as he gently placed her upon a tree branch. For a moment, he stared at her, his eyes then shifting from her to one of Kakashi's ninken, Pakkun. Letting out a sigh, he told the nin-dog to protect her at any cost before he lept away, chasing after the out of control and now-crazed Sand shinobi, whom was currently being pursued by an extremely angry Naruto._

_Truth be told, he didn't **want** to leave her behind, especially in the state she was in now. I mean, it wasn't like he didn't trust Pakkun in keeping her safe, but in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to be the one to keep her safe. _

_At the time, he blamed it on his constant rivalry with Naruto, forcing himself to accept the 'logic' of his never-ending competition with the blonde—who was, as of lately, saving the day a lot more than Sasuke was—as the reason why he wanted to act as her 'hero', despite the knowledge that if he did so, her constant fawning over him would only increase tenfold._

_But even he didn't entirely buy that story, not even from his own mind. He knew that he cared about the pink-haired girl—the weak link of Team 7—because she was the one that always needed to be protected. And he wanted to protect her now more than ever, though he'd never admit it out loud. But alas, he couldn't protect her now either way, because he had to go after Naruto and Gaara. And so, he left her there unconscious with Pakkun guarding her._

* * *

She didn't remember too much about that incident due to her lack of consciousness at the time, but from the details she had gotten from Pakkun afterwords, she realized that Sasuke had actually acted in **her** best interest, and not because he was obliged to, but rather, because he **wanted **to.

It was so strange at the time, and it had left her with a thousand questions in her head afterwords, but later on in life she realized that despite Sasuke's nearly-constant cold exterior... Back then? He had a heart. Whether he liked to admit so or not, he did in fact have a heart, and within that heart was a big warm spot for not only herself, but for the rest of Team 7, as well as the village.

It was thoughts like this that left her completely confused and crushed, every single time she thought about them. Because everything was so right back then. Everyone was so happy, and carefree. They were twelve-year-old shinobi, and despite being in such a violent occupation at such a young age, in the end, they still had always somehow managed to remain carefree. But then... what in the hell went so wrong?

It had been a little over five years, and each day that had passed her by since the night he left Konoha passed at a snails pace. No matter what she ever did—going on missions, training, working at the hospital, spending time with her friends and comrades—it was never enough to distract her long enough from remembering everything, and no matter what, at some point before she went to bed each night, Sasuke's face had entered her mind during at least one point of the day beforehand. And it was that image alone that made getting through each day without him nearly unbearable.

* * *

**Faster, the days go by, and I'm still  
Stuck in this moment of wanting you here.  
Time... in the blink of an eye.  
You held my hand, you held me tight.  
Now, you're gone, and I'm still crying  
Shocked, broken, I'm dying inside.**

* * *

She knew that encountering Sasuke and this Jūgo person was pretty unlikely, though a part of her was still hopeful. At least, the part of her that _didn't care about the mission objective_ remained hopeful of her reuniting with Sasuke once again. She couldn't quite explain it, but for some reason, the urge to see him once again—even if it is as enemies—was the one thing that compelled her to immediately volunteer for this mission. But Tsunade didn't know that, as far as Sakura could tell. No, she could _never _know that.

_'Shishou would never look at me the same if she knew that...'_

Immediately, guilt consumed her as she remembered everything that Tsunade had told her before she had started this mission, the stern warning to put her emotions and feelings behind her in order for her to be able to complete this mission successfully. It was all so overwhelming to her, but for some reason, she just couldn't shake the desire to see his face again, even if it's only for a second.

She wondered where he was right now. Was he still even where they had spotted him, or was he long gone by now? Surely, he would just end up being out of her reach again. He always was just barely out of her reach, and that was what hurt her the most out of everything. She knew he didn't **want** to be found. He didn't **want** to come back to Konoha, he had made that much very clear back at Orochimaru's hideout all those years ago. And it still broke her apart inside to have to accept these facts in her mind.

To say that she missed him would be a complete understatement. They had spent less than a year as a team, and somehow, despite all of that, she still was so attached to him. And that was something that didn't even take years to happen, because she realized that she was in love with him from the time she first truly got to know him, after she had finally passed through that fangirl phase that she was stuck in at the beginning of Team 7's run. It wasn't until she got to know Sasuke on a deeper level that Sakura finally realized that she wasn't infatuated, and it wasn't just a crush—she was madly and deeply in love with Sasuke Uchiha.

"Where are you Sasuke?" she asked no one in particular, staring up at the sky as she laid within her sleeping bag, her arms folded neatly behind her head as sleep escaped her.

* * *

**Where are you? I need you.  
Don't leave me here on my own.  
Speak to me, be near me.  
I can't survive unless I know you're with me...**

* * *

The early rise of the sun shining it's morning rays greeted Sakura with less than three whole hours of sleep. She was far too restless—and filled with anticipation—to actually rest peacefully, though it wasn't unusual for her to not be able to sleep. In fact, over the last few years, Sakura had turned into quite the insomniac, her thoughts of the Uchiha constantly filling her head, particularly at night time, and preventing her from achieving her much-needed slumber. Her lack of rest didn't keep her down though, not for a minute. She thanked the heavens for the creation of both energy tablets and blood pills, because without them, she surely would have been unable to perform her job properly – both performing her medical duties as well as her basic shinobi duties.

Instinctively bringing her hand to wipe the sleep from her eyes, she was shocked when she felt a moist liquid on her cheeks, just below her eyes. Letting out a long sigh, she rubbed away her tear stains, wondering idly when she had actually cried last night, though she figured it was probably in between the few moments she had managed to get some rest. Her slumber was light, though she did dream occasionally. Her dreams were actually something she was always able to remember quite well, because her dreams consisted of _him_, just like every other waking thought Sakura ever had, it seemed.

As she rolled up her sleeping bag and stuffed it into her backpack, she trekked her way back to the small stream nearby, taking the opportunity to once again bask in the beauty of the landscape before her. For the first time, she was truly able to take in everything around her, thanks to the much-needed sunlight. As she turned to make her way back throughout the treetops, a fleeting thought crossed her mind as she left her campsite.

_'I wonder if Sasuke-kun has ever seen something as beautiful as this...'_

As soon as the thought entered her mind, it immediately left, and once again, she was running as fast as she could in the direction of the Land of Wind, not once bothering to stop and rest as she wanted to make it to Suna as soon as she could.

It was only day two of her journey, but from what she could tell by this particular area, which she immediately remembered from her travels back when Gaara was kidnapped by the Akatsuki, she would be arriving in the actual Land of Wind no sooner than midday tomorrow. She let out a sigh, hoping to at least make it to the Land of Wind before sundown.

* * *

_...Meanwhile, somewhere near the Land of Birds..._

* * *

Sasuke was quickly leaping from treetop to treetop, wondering idly if Jūgo had made it back to the Akatsuki's base alright without detection. They had split up yesterday, Sasuke still having some things he needed to take care of in this area while Jūgo had to return to the base and report in with Madara.

_'Dammit, I knew that was a Sunagakure shinobi back there... I just hope that for once, I was wrong...' _Sasuke angrily thought to himself as he jumped throughout the trees. He was silently berating himself for being spotted, one careless mistake blowing his entire cover as he and Jūgo both had been making their way from the Land of Earth to the Land of Birds.

Their route was a bit strange, he'll admit, though it was absolutely necessary considering the fact that by now, Sasuke had made enemies with a lot of the shinobi countries. In fact, he wasn't even legally allowed to be in the Land of Earth, but thanks to the use of a simple henge, he and Jūgo had both been able to stay there for awhile until they could once again begin making their way to the Land of Birds.

As a means of keeping themselves hidden in the shadows whilst traveling in their normal forms, both missing nin had taken a much longer route, one which started at the Land of Earth, leading to an unnamed location which he was unsure of whether it was an unnamed hidden village or a country. All that Sasuke knew about the unnamed area was that there was nothing but a lot of foliage and forest. In fact, he hadn't spotted a single inhabitant in the area, which was perhaps why he had made the foolish, rookie mistake of letting his guard down slightly, the result of which led him to be spotted once he had (unknowingly) neared the Land of Wind.

This was certainly not something Sasuke had anticipated. He hadn't expected to reach the Land of Wind so soon, or otherwise, he would have used his Sharingan to scan the area. Unfortunately for him, he hadn't realized this a moment too soon, and before he knew it, he had a kunai zooming past his face, a paper bomb attached firmly to the end of it. And that was it – they had been spotted.

Immediately, both he and Jūgo had split up as a means of confusing the Sunagakure shinobi. Sasuke had told Jūgo to return to Amegakure to inform Madara of this slight change in plans. Meanwhile, Sasuke managed to create a diversion thanks to the use of a few shadow clones, and he had made his escape into the desert. It was hot as per usual in the Land of Wind, and Sasuke was running blindly, unsure of the area he was in. All that he could see was desert—for miles and miles, there was nothing but sand and heatwaves.

It's not as if he were scared or anything though, he was far too powerful of a person to be scared of anything, let alone a little heat and misguided direction. Hours seemed to fly by like seconds, as his endless walking throughout the Land of Wind led him to a forest, Sasuke immediately taking this as an indication that he had finally made some sort of progress. He was hot, but luckily for him, the area he was now in felt a lot more cooler and less humid.

Before he began his inevitable trek through this new wooded area, Sasuke looked up at the sky, calculating in his mind when exactly the sun would be setting, though from the looks of it, he didn't have too much longer to go. He took a moment to relax his breathing, his breaths a lot more labored due to him running in the humidity that made up the Land of Wind. After several long minutes, Sasuke was good to go again, and immediately he darted for the treetops, his shadows following after him, surrounded by the slowly-fading sun.

* * *

**Shadows linger only to my eye...**

* * *

Sakura wasn't sure how much further she had to go before she'd make it to the Land of Wind, but she knew that it would soon be getting dark. She had about an hour before the area around her would be completely engulfed in darkness, and so, holding onto a sliver of her former resolve to keep moving, she continued darting throughout the treetops, her mind slightly distracted as her thoughts continued to repeat themselves in her head.

_'...I've just **got** to hurry up and get to him...'_

_'...I don't want to miss him... not again...'_

_'...Sasuke-kun... where are you...'_

All these thoughts were replaying in her mind on repeat, the silent sound of her own voice beginning to sound like a broken record as _her _primary objective remained clear—her objective was him, and besides that, her main mission objective would have to remain pushed off to the side until she could just _**see **_him again, just this once.

It was dangerous, and she knew that fully well. The likelihood of him being with Jūgo was still great, and the fact that this man was potentially more dangerous than Sasuke himself, unnerved her greatly. But for some reason, she continued onward, still determined to see Sasuke, even if it could cost her her life, because the only thing that mattered to her right now was him.

* * *

Sasuke's mind was far too cluttered for his own good. This area had a tinge of familiarity to it, though he had absolutely no idea why. He was certain he had been in these woods before, though he didn't quite recall what he had done in them. Once again, he had his guard down, something he seemed to be making the mistake of doing a lot lately, as he continued leaping through the treetops.

His eyes stared straight ahead, but they were unfocused as he wracked his memory in attempts at recalling this forested area, trying to remember where he had seen all of this before. Perhaps it was just a case of deja vou. Sasuke was in a lot of wooded areas during his lifetime, so surely, once you've seen one you've seen them all, right? With his eyebrows furrowed, he continued onward, though it wouldn't be much longer until...

_**Thud!**_

All Sasuke could feel was his loss of footing, his body clearly just colliding with something head on. Whatever—or in this case, _whoever_—had just collided with the 'almighty' Uchiha was also falling, their bodies entwined as a pale set of hands clutched his navy blue top, successfully dragging him down to the ground with them. As he felt the rough forest ground collide with his back, Sasuke let out a sharp hiss of pain. It took him several moments to realize that whoever he had just run into was now lying on top of him, their hands clutched tightly in his shirt and their face buried fearfully in his chest. As he gathered his bearings, Sasuke's eyes shifted downwards to a sight that literally made his blood run cold.

_Pink hair. _

_Red shirt._

_Medic's skirt._

"...Sakura?" he asked, the woman in question looking up at him with wide eyes. Time felt as if it was moving in slow motion as their gazes locked with one another, and unconsciously, Sakura's hands gripped his shirt tighter. It was as if her instincts were screaming at her and encouraging her not to let him go out of fear of him slipping away from her once again.

* * *

**I see you, I feel you, don't leave my side...**

* * *

It took her several seconds before she could even speak, far too in shock at the situation at hand to really be able to think straight, let alone form coherent sentences. Taking a deep breath, she uttered the one name that came to her about as naturally as breathing, her voice hoarse and nearly a whisper.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Sakura immediately eased a bit of her upper weight off of Sasuke, supporting her upper body with her two slender arms, which were now located on either side of Sasuke's head. Sasuke's pale features stared up at Sakura emotionlessly, his shinobi senses immediately on overdrive as he half-expected her to try and kill him, or something like that. After all, the two shinobi hadn't seen each other in _years, _and for all he knew, she could genuinely hate him by now. Who was he to know whether or not she desired to kill him by now?

Truth be told, Sasuke didn't know much of anything about Sakura anymore. He didn't know much about her skills, other than the fact that she was a medic shinobi who was trained by Tsunade herself. Beyond that, it was all a blank to him—her skills, her motives, her feelings. A small part of him was curious though, wondering how she would react as soon as she recollected her bearings and fully absorbed the moment at hand. But that was the thing about Sasuke whenever it came to Sakura, though. No matter what the circumstance, he always could count on her colorful reactions to just about anything, especially things regarding himself. Call it egotistical if you'd like, but he was just damn amused whenever it came to this girl—no, _woman—_and how she reacted towards him. And he'd never admit that aloud, because it was his own little secret.

As he carefully observed the pink-haired woman, his eyes seeking her expression for some sort of emotion that he just _**knew**_was bound to appear at any moment now, he immediately realized that the only reaction that Sakura seemed to be having in regards to his presence was simply a mixture of both shock and disbelief, something that to be quite frank, was not entertaining Sasuke. For some reason, he wanted her to react to something, just as she had when they were kids, and so, he spoke to her once again as a means of jarring something out of her other than surprise.

"You seem to be rather comfortable, I take it?" he calmly asked with a raised eyebrow, his eyes clearly indicating that he was referring to her current position, which was technically straddling him.

Sakura's green eyes widened in horror as she slowly looked down, but for some reason—_and_ _much to his_ _amusement_—she didn't budge as she bit down on her bottom lip, her wide eyes slowly returning to meet his gaze. She just couldn't speak to him for some reason – she couldn't say a damn word. Perhaps it was the position both teenagers were currently sitting/laying in, or perhaps it was the fact that she had never—in a million years—imagined that she would _**actually**_ run into him again. Of course, she had her hopes of encountering him, but deep down, she couldn't buy too far into that hope, the likelihood just being far too slim.

Also, if she were to actually run into him, she certainly did **NOT** expect to do so this far away from her original destination. At this point in time, she was still a whole day's worth of travel away from Sunagakure, and technically speaking, it would take her a whole extra day to make it from Sunagakure to the borders of the Land of the Land of Wind and the Land of Birds. Hell, she hadn't even made it to the Land of Wind yet, technically. So then, what in the hell was he doing here, of all places?

"What...are you doing here?" she finally forced out, her arms slowly beginning to shake beneath the pressure and weight of her upper body, despite being such a slender person. Perhaps it was her nervousness, however, that was causing her to shake. Her thighs were placed solidly on either side of his hips, and there was no chance of him escaping from beneath her without some form of effort needing to be put forth. But then again, did he want to move from beneath her? Something was telling him that the answer was "no".

"I should be asking you the same question, Sakura," he said, his shoulders trembling lightly from Sakura's shaking arms, though he paid no real mind to it as he observed her carefully. He watched as her eyes went from being wide open to narrowed nearly completely shut in what appeared to be a mixture of suspicion and... was that irritation?

"That's none of your business, _**Uchiha**_," she spat out, no longer wanting to remain in the sitting position she was currently in due to her shaking causing her to grow irritated. Sitting upright, still on his lap, Sakura stared down at him warily, wondering as to why he had yet to attack her. As she watched his lips twist up into that familiar smirk from her childhood—a look she was certain had died with the Sasuke she had once knew—her own lips turned downwards into a frown.

Slowly, her bright green eyes shifted from his face to his now slightly exposed shoulder, instinctively searching for the infamous cursed seal, though surprised when she couldn't find it. Immediately, her hand pulled on the navy blue fabric, her body leaning forward slightly as she craned her neck to search out the cursed seal, her eyes wide as she failed to find it.

"It's gone," was all he replied, and the moment his words left his mouth, she was met with a memory she was met with quite often.

* * *

_**::Flashback::**  
The purple, sinister chakra was swirling around a twelve-year-old Sasuke's unconscious body, the thick waves of pure hatred flowing around and above him like a set of purple flames. Sakura's back was turned to both Sasuke and Naruto's unconscious bodies, so she failed to notice the purple smoke-like aura that was slowly engulfing Sasuke, hiding his entire body for the briefest moment before it revealing a now very much awake Sasuke, whose head was bowed low to the ground._

_Immediately sensing that Sasuke was now awake, Sakura turned around to face him from where she was sitting, her recently cut hair dangling loosely around her smiling face as she greeted him._

"_Sasuke-kun! You woke up...?" she asked, surprised to see him up and on his feet so quickly after having been unconscious for the longest time beforehand. It took her a moment to register that something was clearly off, the sinister chakra swirling madly around Sasuke's hunched over form as the air around her immediately grew thick with unease._

_Slowly, Sasuke's hunched over stance was straightening, the sinister chakra still swirling madly about, and Sakura nearly had to do a double take as she watched her raven-haired teammate slowly straighten his stance. All of the surrounding Konohagakure shinobi (i.e. Sakura, Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji) stared on at Sasuke in pure horror, his body moving almost inhumanly as he continued straightening out his posture. The Sound Genin also looked on in horror, shocked that this **creature** was really Sasuke._

"_That's... Sasuke-kun?" Kin asked, her eyes wide with disbelief. All of the surrounding shinobi watched in horror as Orochimaru's cursed seal slowly began to glow an reddish-orange in color, the patterns spreading to his right arm and leg, as well as the right side of both his torso and his face. As he took a step forward, Sakura stared at him wide-eyed in horror, the sinister sensation remaining as powerful as ever as a dark aura engulfed his body. When he spoke to her, Sakura's blood ran cold._

"_Sakura... who did this to you?" was all he asked, though judging by his stance, he already knew the answer to that question as a smug male named Zaku approached him, the expression on his face clearly confessing to having harmed Sakura. Beside him was his two comrades, Dosu and Kin, who also was staring at him with the same cocky smirks. As soon as Sasuke took a first glance at them, he lost control and blacked out, his body moving of its own accord as he quite literally ripped the Sound shinobi to shreds. The next thing he recalled after that point was the cursed seal's effects residing, as well as Sakura's arms wrapped tightly around his torso._

* * *

**It's not fair, just when I found my world,  
They took you, they broke you, they tore out your heart.**

* * *

Sakura's expression grew pained as she recalled the events following Orochimaru giving Sasuke his cursed seal. Honestly, it was at **that** particular moment when Sasuke was completely lost to them, they just didn't realize that at the time. But in all actuality, he was lost long before he decided to leave the village. Because Orochimaru gave him a taste of power that Sasuke could only dream of, and that was the one thing that Sasuke craved the most up until the point where it practically drove him out of the village in search of more.

"You know, for a shinobi, you get pretty distracted easily," Sasuke said, his smirk still firmly in place as he looked up at her. Sakura's eyes narrowed as she glared down at him, her short-temper slowly being toyed with as his little insults continued.

"I could say the same thing about you, considering the fact that you also were not paying enough attention back when we... 'bumped into each other'... Sasuke-kun," Sakura said with her own smirk, a triumphant look immediately gracing her features as she watched his smirk wither away at her words, his lips turning downwards ever-so-slightly into a small frown.

"Tch, whatever..." he muttered, his torso raising upwards as he leaned up on his elbows. The sudden movement caused Sakura's body to go into a panic, a falling sensation overcoming her as she immediately clutched his shirt once again to prevent herself from falling backwards and further humiliating herself. This was certainly **not** what she had expected when she had envisioned encountering him again, not by a long shot.

Sasuke's eyes shifted downwards towards Sakura's hands, which were currently gripping onto his navy hakama for dear life. The realization of this, followed by his wise-ass comment that come to mind immediately after, Sasuke's smirk once again found it's place on his lips. Sakura, whose eyes had clenched tightly shut the moment she thought she was going to fall backwards, slowly lidded open again, only to be met with the sight of Sasuke's trademark smirk being plastered to his face.

"What the hell do you keep smirking at, _**Uchiha**__?"_ she shouted angrily at him, her hands immediately releasing his hakama as she flung her arms out as emphasis. Was he mocking her now? She didn't have too long to ponder upon that, however, because once again, she felt her body being tilted backwards, a soft squeak escaping her lips in response.

As Sasuke shifted the rest of his body into a complete upright sitting position, Sakura barely had an opportunity to grip his shirt again as a means of preventing herself from falling, before she felt one of his arms gripping her lower back, holding her securely in place. Once he was in a more comfortable sitting position, he let go of her back, and instinctively, Sakura scooted her hips slightly backwards a few inches, making herself more comfortable on his lap.

Sakura grew quiet for a moment, her eyes finally taking the opportunity to take in the sight before her. He looked a lot older and more mature now, his facial features having lost most of their baby fat before settling on their current more sharp angles. His hair was also slightly longer, though his hairstyle still held the same chicken-butt hair style from their youth. As she looked at his coal eyes, she realized that they were perhaps the only feature about him that didn't change.

Sasuke was watching her as she observed him, curious as to what she was thinking right now. As both shinobi remained silent for a moment, Sasuke took the opportunity to also take in Sakura's changes in physical appearance. He noted that she looked a lot more feminine, no longer being completely frail and bony looking as she had been during their youth. Now, she had a lot more womanly curves, the most being particularly in her hips and breasts, which were also now very apparent. Her chest size wasn't anything too large, but she wasn't quite flat chested either. Perfect, he decided. That's what he considered her breast size to be in comparison to most women's. They were absolutely, perfect.

Had the two not been in such a close proximity of one another, Sasuke surely would have missed the whisper of the words that Sakura had uttered, unconsciously missing the fact that she had spoken her thoughts aloud, as she stared back at him in wonder.

"I...really...missed this..." were the words that ghosted themselves from her pale, pink lips, her gaze never breaking away from his as she stared on at him, her body feeling all-too dreamlike in this small moment she was sharing with him. Was any of this even real? It certainly didn't feel real...

* * *

**I miss you, you hurt me, you left with a smile.  
Mistaken, your sadness was hiding inside.**

* * *

For once, he didn't smirk at her words, the truth they held too far intense for him to possibly make a mockery out of as he usually did. Why wasn't he being cold and emotionless to her right now? She was just Sakura, and yet, for the first time in five whole years, he felt like the old Sasuke again. Perhaps it was because it was just the two of them alone. Either way, Sasuke didn't know and it slightly unnerved him, how comfortable he felt in her presence. It wasn't like this when Naruto was with her and the three of them would reunite. Somehow, this feeling was different entirely, though he couldn't quite place it. And then...

_**Slap!**_

He was unsure when exactly she had done it, but he recognized the unfamiliar stinging in his cheek immediately after she had slapped him, the impact of her slap having turned his head to the side as the guilty hand covered her mouth, slightly in shock at her own actions, and also slightly in attempts at stifling her cries.

As he turned his face back towards her, he noticed the familiar tracks of her tears, which were now sliding down her cheek. And he didn't know what compelled him to do it, but his thumbs immediately raised to wipe away her tears. He always hated to see her cry, though he was never quite sure why it bothered him so much. But the feeling in his heart that it caused was painful, that much he knew. Yes, it pained him to see her crying, especially over him, yet again.

Before him, sat a truly broken woman, and before now, he never quite grasped—let alone acknowledged—the fact that he was the person who had broken her. She had wept for him, countless times. She had yearned for him, endlessly. And now, here before him, in her weakest moment, she broke for him all over again.

* * *

**Now all that's left are the pieces to find  
The mystery you kept, the soul behind a guise.**

* * *

As a pair of strong arms engulfed her, Sakura's teary eyes went wide in the realization that **the** Sasuke Uchiha—missing nin, S-Class criminal, and the one true [unrequited] love of her life—was hugging her, offering her the comfort that she had sought from him for over five years. She couldn't return his embrace, the sudden action forcing her arms to awkwardly bend as she was pressed against his chest. And so, she sat there, too frozen in shock to do much of anything. The tears were still cascading down her cheeks, though her vocal sobs had halted entirely. And it took her a moment before she could finally bury her face in his neck, her cries and resumed sobs immediately wracking over her entire body as he held her tightly in his arms.

By the time she had calmed down, the sun had long-since set, though the two young shinobi were far too lost in the moment to really pay much notice to it regardless. When he felt her pull herself back to look at him, he realized that she was finally done crying, though her tear stained cheeks served him as a reminder that she was just weeping her heart out on his shoulder. His arms were loosely draped around her waist, his grip—though not tight enough to continue holding her to him—was secure at the base of her back, tight enough to let her know that he was still technically holding her, but loose enough for her to pull away from him if she desired to do so. But she never moved as she stared at him, her cheeks and nose tinged with pink as she stared at him.

The only light surrounding them was that of the full moon, and it seemed almost nostalgic – how the moon had also been full on the night that he had left the village, the night he had left _**her**_. And yet, here they were once again, both sharing an intense moment that neither would be bound to soon forget, beneath the moonlight of the full moon. The stars also had their part in providing some source of light, though it was mostly outshone by the moon's yellow aura.

When Sakura broke the silence to speak, her voice was slightly hoarse from crying – a fact further exemplified by the slight crack in her words as she softly spoke to him.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun..." she started, her eyes never leaving his for an instance as a small smile graced her delicate features. "I was starting to think that you were lost forever," she spoke again, her voice nearly a whisper though her tone was much clearer. For the first time, it was Sasuke's turn to be left in complete and utter shock as he instantly realized the underlying meaning behind her words. His eyes were wide with shock for an instance before they softened once again, his gaze never leaving hers as he responded to her statement.

"For awhile... I was..." Was all he uttered in response. Their voices were very hushed, though it was unclear exactly why. Perhaps he was just feeding off of her quiet tone, or perhaps it was just because the need for them to speak louder wasn't present. Either way, their tones remained soft, a volume which clearly mirrored their expressions as they stared intensely at one another.

**

* * *

Where are you? I need you.  
Don't leave me here on my own.  
Speak to me, be near me,  
I cant survive unless I know you're with me...**

* * *

Sakura smiled softly at Sasuke's words, and once again, they both fell silent. She was currently wracking her brain for the things that she wanted to say to him, though for some reason, she couldn't formulate them into words. His intense stare was making all of the love she had held for him all of these years surface, and it was slowly beginning to be too much for her head to handle. So many questions were racing through her head.

* * *

**Why did you go?  
All these questions run through my mind.  
I wish I couldn't feel at all.  
Let me be numb, I'm starting to fall!**

* * *

Why did he go? Was he alright? Where was he living now? Was he taking care of his health? Did he miss her—_them_? Was he ever going to come back to Konoha? What was he thinking in this very moment? Was it about her? Does he even care about her? And did he love her? Well, she immediately had her doubts about the answer to that one. After all, just because he comforted her as she cried didn't mean that he actually had feelings towards her.

As she parted her lips to speak, in an attempt at perhaps being able to utter at least one of the questions racing through her mind, she was shocked at the question that actually came out of her mouth. And judging by Sasuke's current expression, he was shocked by it as well.

"Was it all worth it... Sasuke-kun...?" she asked, the question immediately catching him off-guard, shocking him to the very bone. It was one question he had not only never expected, but one that he also had never quite thought about during his time spent as a rogue ninja. Was it all worth it? The quest for power, avenging his clan, being banished from his home village... was it worth everything he had to lose in the process? Something in his gut screamed that no, it wasn't worth it, though he wouldn't admit it out loud. He _couldn't _admit that out loud, and so, his response was a sad expression, his eyes breaking their gaze from her own as he looked at the ground.

Immediately she understood the underlying meaning behind his suddenly sad gaze, and she knew that no, none of it was worth it. But the past is one of the many things in life that we as human beings cannot change, and so, when he felt her pressing her lips against his own, to say that he was shocked would be an understatement. What had shocked him more, however, was that he found his body responding to the kiss, his entwined fingers behind her lower back immediately tightened as he pulled her closer towards him, the kiss immediately deepening.

As he slowly lowered her to the ground, his body towering over top of hers, Sasuke felt Sakura's slender arms wrap around his neck like a lifeline, and in that instance he realized that she thought he was going to leave her again. As he finally parted the kiss for some much needed air, Sakura's eyes shot open as she stared at him pleadingly.

"Stay with me, Sasuke-kun..." she asked, and Sasuke's intense stare never left her face. The two were mere inches from one another, and she was fearing that he would leave her, just like he had done when they were twelve. But Sasuke's gaze softened as he looked down at her, his tongue immediately licking his suddenly-dry lips unconsciously as he stared at her.

"I plan to," was all he said before he crushed his lips back down onto hers, the shock from his action causing her eyes to immediately grow wide before they lidded shut, her lips slowly moving against his in the age-old dance that is known as a kiss. Her grip on his neck wasn't **as** vice-like as it was before, but she was still tightly holding him against her, keeping the kiss between them as deep as she possibly could out of fear that this was all a dream.

* * *

**Where are you...? I need you...  
Don't leave me here on my own.  
Speak to me, be near me,  
I can't survive unless I know you're with me.**

* * *

Before either of the two could comprehend what was happening next, Sasuke felt one of Sakura's legs hooking around his waist and pulling his lower body towards her own, the notion forcing his groin towards her own, and instinctively he ground himself up against her, the feeling causing him to growl slightly into the kiss as their bodies began moving faster, both molding against one another's like a work of art.

And before long, he was sliding the zipper of her vest down, the red material pooling out at her sides as he roughly slid it off of her shoulders. Instinctively, Sakura arched her back towards Sasuke, giving him more room to discard the garment and leaving her only in her chest bindings, shorts, medics skirt, and her shinobi sandals. Their lips never parted, the need to break for air not returning since the first time, as both heavily breathed through their noses, the hot air fanning across the other's face as their lips frenzied against one another.

And when Sasuke's tongue nudged at Sakura's bottom lip for entrance, of course she granted it immediately. As their tongues collided with one another – gently but quickly – Sakura let out a moan into the kiss, the sound nearly destroying Sasuke's barely-there composure as he slowly made his way about taking off her clothes. When he felt the tie of his hakama being undone, Sasuke's eyes darted towards the slowly-parting garment, and with great amusement, he watched as Sakura roughly slid the navy blue top off his shoulders, just as he had done to her.

With both shinobi's tops now laying in a small pile to their sides, once again, their hands began frantically exploring the other's body. As Sasuke's calloused hands made their way up along her abdomen, Sakura's own hands slid in the opposite direction, her curved fingers gliding her fingertips from his muscular chest, down to his bellybutton, her nails occasionally leaving a small scratch in their wake.

* * *

**(Where... are... you?)  
Where are you? I need you.  
Don't leave me here on my own.**

* * *

Sasuke's hands finally stopped at the edge of Sakura's chest bindings, and finally, he broke their kiss just briefly to glide his lips along her jawline, before moving to her neck, his soft mouth slowly inching its way towards Sakura's pulse point which, Sasuke's dually noted, was currently beating at a mile a minute. It pleased him to no end that he was having such an effect on her, and as he bit down on the erratically beating juncture of her neck, the sharp gasp followed by a throaty moan he received in response was enough to drain most of the blood from his head and into his lower regions.

The bite was completely unexpected, and it caused Sakura not only to let out a loud moan in response, her nails sinking into Sasuke's upper back on impulse, the sharp edges dragging slightly downwards as she tried to adjust herself to the pain. It took her several moments to register exactly what he had done, but as she felt his lips roughly sucking on the part of her neck he had just bitten, she realized that he was leaving a lovebite in his wake – marking her as his and his _**alone**_. It was a thought that both thrilled and scared her slightly, because she realized exactly where things were leading beyond this point.

Although she had been saving herself (preferably, for marriage), she always knew in her heart that she wanted him to be her first at everything—her first love, her first kiss, her first time... Now that all of it was happening at once, she felt overjoyed and a bit overwhelmed, though she really didn't have much time to think about it as a loud ripping noise pulled her abruptly from her frantic thoughts.

Sakura's green eyes drifted downwards to a sight she wasn't quite prepared for, as she watched Sasuke ripping her chest bindings off with his _teeth_, the site before her immediately making her draw in a sharp hiss of a breath as she watched her breasts slowly being brought into view. She could practically feel his intense gaze upon her chest, and it made her feel nervous and uncomfortable as he eyed her so intensely. It was like a starved animal eying a fresh piece of meat – just deciding which part of her to devour first. Her discomfort at his staring immediately made her lift her hands to cover her chest, only to be left once again breathless as she felt Sasuke's strong arms pinning her own above her head, a soft growl emanating from his throat as he stared intensely into her eyes.

"Don't hide..." he whispered, and although it took Sakura a minute to register his words into her cloudy mind, she immediately nodded her head timidly afterwords. The timid response drove Sasuke to once again cover her mouth with his own, and just like before, both shinobi's hands were frantically roaming along the curves and contours of one another's body as they explored each other, both memorizing every curve; every scar and every line.

* * *

**Where... are... you?  
(I can't survive unless I know you're with me.)**

* * *

Somehow along the way, his movements grew rushed and frantic, and Sakura felt the side of her skirt being roughly unbuckled, the force Sasuke was using to remove the garment was almost strong enough to rip it, and that was something she just couldn't allow. And so, as a means to slow his movements once more, Sakura's hands slid up his torso and cupped his cheeks, the sweet and gentle notion proving to be successful as she felt his once-frantically moving hand coming to an almost complete stop as it slackened at her side.

Gently, she massaged his lips with her own, softly coaxing him to grant her entrance with her tongue as she slid the soft muscle along his lower lip, just as he had done to her. It was amazing how quickly the two were catching onto this, neither having any experience at this beforehand as any indication to go by, but instead allowing their instincts to take over and guide them. It wasn't very long before Sakura felt her spandex shorts slowly inching down her hips, her panties being dragged along with them. Moving as best as she could considering their current position—with Sasuke laying directly on top of her—Sakura slowly wiggled the garments down her hips and legs before kicking them off with her feet.

And now, she lay completely naked before him while he was still wearing only his pants. Breaking the kiss, Sakura—once again mimicking Sasuke's previous actions—began to trail kisses down his neck, collarbone, and shoulder, her lips stopping at the pulse of his throat as she took the skin between her teeth, her lips sucking on the skin long and hard as she left a lovebite of her own on Sasuke's neck. Luckily for her, the action had also revealed one of Sasuke's more sensitive parts of his body. As she roughly sucked on the skin of his neck, Sasuke's hips roughly ground his now very-apparent erection against Sakura's bare womanhood.

As she continued sucking on his neck, the need to move things along grew dire with Sasuke once again, and as he lifted his hips away from Sakura's own pelvis slightly, it wasn't very long before Sakura felt the sensation of his bare skin being pressed up against her own. The first thing that Sakura realized was that Sasuke was very warm. As her bright green eyes broke his gaze, her focus lowering to their two now quite nude bodies being pressed tightly against one another's. Immediately, a red blush graced both of her cheeks, the still in-tact innocence of Sakura's entire being driving out the more modest side of her as she immediately shifted her gaze back to Sasuke, the onyx-haired man once again capturing her lips in a deep, passionate kiss.

Of course, he was doing this as a means of distracting her, and for the most part, it worked until the feeling of the tip of his member being aimed at her entrance snapped her eyes open, only to be met by a questioning look from Sasuke. It flattered her to no end, that he would still be willing to back out if she wasn't ready, though with a simple yet shy nod of her head, Sakura encouraged him silently, her lips never leaving his as she silently told him that she wanted nothing more in this world. And so, he began to enter her, reaching almost no resistance until finally, he reached her barrier with only half of his length inside of her. Breaking the kiss and clinging to whatever self-control he had left, Sasuke stared into Sakura's eyes intensely as he voiced his once unspoken question.

"Sakura... are you sure about this? There's no backing out once you do..."

It was so damn near impossible to keep himself from thrusting into her and ignoring the fact that it **would** in fact hurt her in the end. The pain she was about to experience was inevitable but the feeling of her walls currently clinging to him like a vice-grip, Sasuke's self-control was seriously questionable at the moment. But for some reason, he felt as if he owed it to Sakura to give her the opportunity to spare herself some pain from him, for once in her life. He was almost certain she was going to change her mind as she remained silent, her eyes locked intensely with his own, before she smiled softly at him and began to speak.

"I never wanted anything more in my life, Sasuke-kun," was her soft reply and after another second of hesitation, Sasuke's mouth crashed down onto Sakura's as a means of distracting her while he pulled his hips back slightly only to thrust them forward again, the muffled scream that followed being one that he had never heard, nor would want to hear, ever again.

His eyes never closed for a second as he watched her face go from a look of serenity to pain, followed by an immediately look of discomfort as she tried her best to stop the tears from flowing from her eyes with the tips of her fingers, though it was to no avail. She had no idea that it would hurt this badly, to actually give herself to Sasuke entirely. The pain she was feeling right now was almost strong enough to make her back out of the whole thing; to tell him to stop, to pull out so she could just curl up into a little ball as she willed the pain away. She had expected this, being a med-nin and all. She had been stabbed with a sword through the stomach, cut by kunai, grazed by shuriken, and punctured by senbon needles, but nothing could quite compare to the pain she was feeling in this very moment.

Her fingers gripped his shoulders for dear life, and Sasuke remained as still as he possibly could, though the feeling of her walls constricting around his length so tightly was making things very difficult for him. With their kiss now broken, Sasuke could only stare down at Sakura as her face remained contorted in a pain that he could never, as a man, understand. He had known this would hurt her – hell, any idiot over fourteen with a penis would know that her first time would hurt. But the look on her face right now was one nearly strong enough to break him.

It seemed like an entire eternity had gone by before Sakura finally opened her eyes, her green orbs instantly locking with his onyx ones as she pulled him back down towards her for a kiss, her grip stopping just an inch or so short as she whispered against his lips, "I'm okay now."

And that was all the encouragement that Sasuke needed to shift his hips backwards, his length almost leaving her entirely, before he pushed himself back inside of her slick, heat. It was a feeling that he couldn't quite describe, and it was certainly one that he could get used to should he be given any say-so in the issue. And as he repeated his actions—slowly pulling himself almost completely out of her, only to roughly drive himself back in—Sasuke slowly began to fall into a rhythm that left the pinkette gasping for hair and no longer to maintain the kiss. But Sasuke wasn't quite ready to remove his lips from her body just yet, and so immediately, he dipped his head down towards her neck as he once again began sucking on and kissing the tender flesh there, small, red marks being left behind in his wake.

It was all so much for Sakura to handle, and after awhile, she began to feel almost completely deprived. Although Sasuke's rough movements were more than... arousing... Sakura couldn't help but want _more, _and so, with the slight buck of her hips, she let out a loud moan, her words immediately making his already heated blood turn into a boil.

"Mmm... Please, go harder... Sasuke-kun..." she breathlessly moaned out, and the moment the words left her lips, she felt him repeating his earlier movements, the only difference being now that he was roughly slamming his hips against hers, the action earning him a loud, throaty moan in response. He continued doing this same action over and over again, the feeling of her nails sinking into, and sliding down, his back driving him closer and closer to the edge. His newly found pace continued for a good several minutes, the itch that Sakura needed scratched still not quite being satisfied. And so, once again, she spoke in breathy whispers, her words turning Sasuke on to no end as he stilled within her, his ears straining to hear everything she said.

"Don't worry about hurting me," she began, still panting heavily in attempts to catch her breath before she continued. "Go as fast as you want, Sasuke-kun."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Sakura flashed Sasuke a slightly-mischievous grin, the young man in question more than happy to comply with her wishes as he gradually started a rough, more faster pace, the sensation overcoming him nearly driving him blind with a white, hot sense of delirium. It wasn't long before he was carelessly pounding her into the ground below, her body jerking roughly with his movements as he continued sucking on and biting her slender neck. As his pace quickened as per her request, the feeling that overcame Sakura caused her to sink her nails into Sasuke's back deeper than before as she slowly began raking them downwards, leaving angry, red lines in their wake.

It was almost too much for him to handle—the feeling of her heat and tightness surrounding him as he relentlessly pounded himself in and out of her—and it didn't take him much longer until he slowly reached the edge, unknowing that Sakura too was on the brink of climax. As he felt her already-tight walls clenching around his member with a new-found force, it was almost too much for Sasuke to handle. Forcibly breaking his lips away from her neck, he shifted his weight onto his arms as he towered over her, his hips still roughly bucking forwards and backwards against her pelvis. As he watched her ride out her climax, the sight before him had finally become too much for him to handle, and with one final—and particularly hard—thrust, Sasuke emptied his seed deep within her, his hip movements stilling immediately.

It was as if all the strength in his body had been drained after that, because the next thing he knew, Sasuke's body was gently laying on top of Sakura. He was using whatever bit of strength he had left to not crush her, though that was about as far as it went. He couldn't move, and he couldn't get his breathing evened out as he buried his face in her neck, his hot breaths roughly blowing against her soft skin. Sakura too was having a hard time regaining control of her breathing, and with a trembling hand, she entwined the fingers of one of her hands deep into his long, black locks of hair, the sweet gesture driving him to look at her. As she stared at his peaceful face, she noticed something in particular that she never thought she would be able to see again—Sasuke was smiling at her, his eyes closed with a serene look on his face.

* * *

**You were smiling,  
You were smiling,  
You were smiling...**

* * *

After a few long, drown out minutes, Sasuke had finally managed to get his breathing—along with his racing heartbeats—to even out. Not wanting to remain nude in the middle of nature longer than necessary, Sasuke immediately removed himself from atop of Sakura, the action causing her to immediately sit up. As the two put their clothes back on, not a word had been uttered from either of them until both were completely dressed and now standing. Both knew exactly what was about to happen next, as well—it was something that remained inevitable from the beginning. When Sakura was the first to break the silence, her words chilled Sasuke to the bone and left him feeling uneasy with the thoughts that lingered in his mind afterwords.

"You know... you don't have to worry, I'm not going to ask you to come home again... Sasuke-kun," she said, her expression sad and full of dawning as she remembered that he had absolutely no desire to return home with her.

For some reason, after everything that had just happened, the thought of going back to Madara and the Akatsuki – of leaving her once again – didn't quite settle right to Sasuke. Because quite frankly, he was tired... he was tired of running, tired of not having a place to go where he truly felt at home, and most of all, he was tired of lying to himself.

Because despite everything that had happened, despite everything that he had ever done and said in the past, Sakura had always been the one girl who had a special place in his heart. He was no stranger to love, and he was one all too familiar with the feeling, though he had a hard time _expressing_ that feeling aloud. When he spoke to her, in a soft response to her saddening statement, his words made her freeze in her tracks as she stared at him in disbelief.

"But maybe I want to come home, though..." he said, almost in a whisper. Both of them knew fully well just what Sasuke returning to Konoha would mean. They knew that punishment for his crimes was inevitable, though considering the fact that he now held a lot of valuable information about the Akatsuki, Madara, and the surrounding nations, Sasuke surely could make a decent bargain in exchange for his life and his permission to be allowed back into the village.

With that last thought in mind, the two looked at each other one last time before both broke off into a sprint, both shinobi heading into the same direction: the Land of Fire, and soon, the Hidden Leaf Village. The grin plastered on Sakura's face never faltered as she occasionally glanced over at Sasuke, and it was in this very moment that she realized that everything would finally be okay, because **he** was coming home with her, for good.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, so that turned into like a mini novel -sweatdrop- o.o". The page count was 27 when I finished this story, so I'm pretty fucking impressed, if I may say so. I've been writing this story for the last... uh... 10 and a half hours... Oh dear Jesus! O_O Wow... Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this story lol xD Reviews would be most appreciated!


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